Life In 19x19

TheCatLver wrote:

gowan wrote: 2" Agathis board $80 (not yellow)
2" Spruce (Shin kaya) board $95

I actually had already took a look at those board, the shin-kaya looks painted, so does the agathis, so both of them was noooonnn.

I don't think so. It might be a stain, but not paint.

I've seen their boards in person. They are very beautiful boards.
they usually come to the annual US Go Congress every year to sell their books and equipment.

I have a YMI shin-kaya board (though mine is a multiple piece 1.25" board, so not as nice as the one in question), and I see no evidence of it having been painted. I suppose there could be a wash that I haven't noticed, but if so it's applied with remarkable regularity and shows no seams even where the board has experienced a few nicks and dents. It IS more yellow than the one shown in the GoGameGuru pictures, but that may just be the wood choice. There are a variety of spruce-related species that are all called shin-kaya.

In some ways, that gives more hope to the prospect of the color changing over time; wood does fade. But I've had mine for three years and its about the same color as when I got it. I don't think that the board would hold up well under the conditions that would be required for it to change color more quickly. A single piece board would have a better chance of survival than mine, but I still think it would be very harsh on the wood and likely to cause damage.

jeromie wrote: It IS more yellow than the one shown in the GoGameGuru pictures, but that may just be the wood choice. There are a variety of spruce-related species that are all called shin-kaya.

A single piece board would have a better chance of survival than mine, but I still think it would be very harsh on the wood and likely to cause damage.

The wood use in gogameguru board is Alaskan spruce, where I suspect the cold weather and long season of lack of sunlight may be a contributing factor to its color. The wood for YMI is tibetan spruce, how it manage it to be that yellow though, I'm guessing it's because of how golden buddha is

I live in Minnesota, but my house is always well humidified (I have chronic dry throat that get raspy really easily), the cat, well, it's a cat. I can try my best to keep it away. But other than that, my house and playing habit won't damage the board that much. I also have UV light (evil science experiment ). I'm doing side research on my own, so far nothing, maybe I'm not searching the right way. On ward!

On a second look with the board in front of me, it does lighter where it's been nicked. I suppose that maybe their "clear" coat isn't actually clear.

Hope you're able to find a board you love at a price you can afford!

Why not sand it down? and reapply lines? I am interested in what an Agathis board that is not painted looks like.

goTony wrote:Why not sand it down? and reapply lines? I am interested in what an Agathis board that is not painted looks like.

We've been having the "how to apply the grid" conversation for decades. It seems to be quite difficult to do well. Don't sand the top off if you just want to see the naked woOd. Sand the bottom.